It's been far too long and the upgrade version of Windows 8 still fails. I've tried rebuilding the VM from a fresh install of Win7, I've tried from the snapshots of post-download and post-install. I've tried allowing Windows 8 to rebuild or refresh itself. I've tried running the updates in large and small sets, from the Control Panel and from the Windows 8 management pages.

Windows 8 will start, and usually run for some minutes, but inevitably fails and all but seizes. I say "all but" because sometimes the mouse still works, except for clicking on anything; moving the mouse over a window border, for example, will still flicker betwen pointer and sizing and editing and clicking, depending on where it's hovered.

It's very frustrated and it makes me much more satisfied with my decision of personally raning Windows near the bottom of available OSs.

I still need to test web apps and such in Windows 8, so I might be compelled to get an OEM license and install it raw on a PC. Maybe I'll wait a bit and get a tinkery all-in-one. I'm not looking for any kind of gaming or performance, just completeness, and "average user" robustness.

According to a quick NewEgg.com search, an entry-level all-in-one is about $400, with a mainstream starting closer to $600. It'll be a bit before I bite that, but since an OEM license is $100 an a baseline PC is another $300, that might be a wash to an entry-level all-in-one.

Of course, the Surface is barely more, and gives a little benefit of portability. The Surface, though is Windows 8 RT, not Windows 8 Real... It is, theoretically, the same web browser, though.

Really, what I want is for the VM to work. Curses, Microsoft. Just...curses.